The 2025 World Cup season is two weekends and four races old. And the verdict for the men could not be clearer: Specialized Factory Racing has won ten of the twelve podium places up for grabs - yes, there were once twenty, but that's another story. In the short track, Chris Blevins (USA) won twice ahead of Victor Koretzky (FRA). There were two triple victories over the long distance, with Koretzky, the absolute top shot of the factory team, also pulling off a weak day by his standards in the second race over the Olympic distance. The youngsters Martin Vidaurre (CHI) and Adrien Boichis (FRA) took over for the veteran.

The Specialized riders did not take the lead just before the finish. On the contrary. In last Saturday's race, the Specialized Express rode at a horrendous pace from start to finish at the front. In between, Koretzky, Vidaurre, Blevins and Boichis rode like a road team, taking turns at the front or picking up the pace in turn until the others, who also wanted to be in the mix at the front, were no longer able to.

Team tactics like on the road?

Will cross country become a team sport, as cycling has long been on the road? Will we soon be watching teams with leaders and helpers? The question goes to two experts on the subject: team owner Ralph Näf and event organizer and communications expert Christian Rocha.

Both recall the races in Brazil a year ago. Ralph Nef explains: "Back then, people thought that the world had been turned upside down and now only a team as strong as Specialized could win." Rocha specifies: "The fast track is tailored to the Specialized riders, but it was extremely impressive how they managed to do it." In 2024, Koretzky and Blevins only rode to a double victory in Araxà in the short track. In cross country, the Frenchman was the only Specialized athlete on the podium in second place. 

The next stop is Nove Mesto, just like in 2024. "Last year, you noticed that the world had turned again," recalls Ralph Näf, meaning that suddenly other riders were in front again. "The character of the course in Araxà, coupled with the heat and humidity, obviously suits them better. But they did it with mega team spirit."

 

 

 

 

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Teammates first have to find each other in the cross-country turmoil

Näf and Rocha do not believe that team tactics like on the road are a realistic option in cross-country. This is already due to the starting procedure, where the riders of a team are often spread over several starting rows and first have to find each other in the field in order to form a Specialized-style train. In road races, the teams have enough time after the start to form up in the peloton if they don't set off together anyway. In general, road teams have much more space on the asphalt than the athletes on the cross-country tracks.

The fact that the Specialized team riders are placed high up in the starting field speaks for the quality of the team, as Näf and Rocha also point out. The team's management has put together some of the strongest riders ever. In Araxà, they started from the front row once in three and once in four in the short track, and once in two and once in three in the cross country Olympic. The other riders were not much further back and obviously had the task of catching up with their colleagues at the front as quickly as possible. 

"Specialized was already number one in the team world rankings before the first race of this season," emphasizes Ralph Näf and adds: "We are number two, by the way." And Rocha adds: "The fact that Vidaurre and Boichis were also able to close the gap to the two top riders is pretty amazing."

"At least it wasn't down to the material"

Näf says he is glad that Fabio Püntener rode in the lead in between, "that made it clear to me that the superiority wasn't down to the material." Swiss rider Püntener and New Zealander Luke Moir were the antithesis of the speeding Specialized bulwark: as individual athletes without a team, they were among the few riders who could at least keep up with the specialists to some extent. With 5th place (Moir) and 8th place (Püntener), they delivered absolute masterpieces under these circumstances.

For Näf, one thing is certain: "When Victor Koretzky is fit, he is one of the riders you have to beat in every race if you want to win. Alan Hatherly was also in this position for a while last season and Pidcock is always in this position when he's racing anyway." However, Nove Mesto with its course profile, lower temperatures and humidity will be a completely different race. "No need to worry," he says with regard to the possibility of another crushing performance from Specialized Factory Racing.

The competition now has almost six weeks to prepare and find an answer to the Spezi roller.